This article summarizes and assesses federal K-12 compensatory education policies during the past six decades. It focuses on the centerpiece of that effort, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Related programs such as America 2000, Goals 2000, No Child Left Behind, and Every Student Succeeds Act are discussed. It…

This article reviews the political and empirical record within music education surrounding the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and reports a new study evaluating the effects of the law on music and arts education policies in U.S. high schools. School-level data (N = 670 schools) from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 and the…

Distinguished historian and policy analyst Maris Vinovskis examines federal K-12 education policies, beginning with the publication of "A Nation at Risk" and focusing on the National Education Goals, America 2000, Goals 2000, and No Child Left Behind. In addition to discussing key policy debates, he also addresses the practical aspects…

During the past 12 years there was a sudden and unexpected consensus held by U.S. Congressmen and Presidents that students in U.S. public schools were learning less than they should. Moreover, the conservatives and liberals agreed that the proper policy response to this public problem was to raise education standards. Recent years brought five…

Reviews national policy initiatives that have supported local efforts for school improvement. These include the reauthorized Title I program (Improving America's Schools Act of 1994) and the enactment of the Goals 2000 Act. Discusses the five themes identified by the U.S. Department of Education as essential for comprehensive educational…

Highlights of Public Law 103-227 (Goals 2000: Educate America Act) are presented. Contents include: a summary of how this Act will provide a framework for meeting the national education goals for all students, including those with disabilities; selected definitions of terms used in the legislation; and objectives of the eight national education…

No matter how well intentioned the Goals 2000: Educate America Act may be, it is doomed to failure. The theory of the logic and behavior of the educational system illustrates how powerful systemic forces converge to stabilize the high school attainment rate at about 75%, where it has been since 1965, and where no traditional national policy will…

The Board on Testing and Assessment of the National Research Council convened a workshop in 1994 to help policymakers and others better understand the complex issues emerging from the standards-based educational reform movement. This bulletin synthesizes the workshop discussions. It is organized around four major themes that emerged from the…

This document provides an overview of primary, cross-cutting issues that are likely to arise as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; Goals 2000; the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act; and the National Education Statistics Act are considered by the United States Congress for reauthorization in the future.…

This report provides updated information on major national activities related to the development and assessment of educational outcomes of students with disabilities who are receiving special education services. The report reviews major initiatives in the areas of the national education goals (Goals 2000), standards, and national testing. The…

This paper examines the determinants of systemic education reform in the American states. Socioeconomic, political, and cultural variables are all found to affect the level of systemic education policy in each state. Unlike many studies of policy determinants, urbanization is negatively associated with this particular policy. The political factors…

Asserts that this is a frenetic time for arts education. Discusses the formation and implementation of public policy regarding arts education. Concludes that the most responsible policies emerge when broad-based input from professionals and lay persons is solicited and acted upon. (CFR)

It is suggested that trends in federal and state policy formation are working against the advancement of second language education in Illinois. While the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act at the federal level was a positive step, legislating that foreign language be part of the core curriculum, a subsequent state policy draft excluded…

Federal legislation to improve education passed in 1994 is reviewed and two major bills are discussed in greater detail. Emphasis is on the legislation's provisions for improvement of educational standards and access to improved education for all students, especially the disadvantaged. An introductory section highlights the provisions of three…

This document traces the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act as they proceeded through Congress. The following papers are included: "Preface" (Douglas Bedient and Michael D. Usdan); "Introduction" (John F. Jennings); "The Goals 2000: Educate America Act. Providing a World-Class…